Burton Baton | Dogfish Head Craft Brewery

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Notes / Commercial Description:
This oak-aged gentle giant has been gaining popularity over the past few years and is now available year-round.

For Burton Baton, we brew two "threads," or batches, of beer: an English-style old ale and an imperial IPA.

After fementating the beers separately in our stainless tanks, they're transferred and blended together in one of our large oak tanks. Burton Baton sits on the wood for about a month.

When enjoying the Burton Baton, you'll find an awesome blend of the citrus notes from Northwestern hops melding with woody, vanilla notes from the oak. The wood also tends to mellow the 10% ABV of Burton, so tread cautiously!

Reviews by jmmochowski:

More User Reviews:

Drank a version bottled in 2010. A DIPA, barrel-aged, then bottle-aged for another (almost) three years. Wonder how this is gonna turn out... Pours a deep copper with some ruby accents, very hazy and opaque; capped off with a huge, creamy beige head that seemingly lasts for days and leaves incredible chunky lacing on the sides. I'm already impressed at how the carbonation has held up, this beer looks great.

Aroma is very sweet, super fruity and heavily on the malt side, despite being a DIPA. At times, the aroma reminds me a bit of Fruity Pebbles with some phenol alcohol strength to back it up. Bready and malty around the edges, but the collaboration of fruit rules this one. Some light spiciness around the edges, too - a sign of the hops, perhaps?

Just like the aroma, the taste is a big bang of fruit-type flavors, but it's quite a unique mix of two different styles or types of fruit. You've got the deeper flavors from the barleywine-like malt structure of the beer; candied sugary plums, booze-soaked raisins, dates, mild licorice. But you've also got the more tropical and citrus flavors from the hops; mangoes, oranges, pears. The hops also contribute a somewhat earthy and spicy feel, as well as some grassy and weedy notes that hit the tongue. Despite the flavors they contribute, however, the bitterness is very low, seemingly even non-existent. Could be another side effect of an extra three years of aging.

The malt configuration never lets up, with a constant onslaught of caramel and toffee sweetness pillaging in the background. Finally, near the end of the sip, and a little bit more towards the end of the glass itself, the woody, oak flavors come out a bit. Still, surprisingly subdued and not as strong as I was hoping. Aftertaste is a collection of musty fruits and some alcohol warmth. Body on the thick side, just a touch below syrupy; slick and a touch sticky, carbonation was surprisingly intact.

Don't expect a hop bomb out of this. You shouldn't - it's a barrel-aged DIPA. This is more like a spicy and sweet barleywine with lots of hop flavor (but not necessarily bitterness). Overall, just a bit on the fruity side, and the alcohol was apparent, though I guess it starts to get hard to mask at 10% ABV. Much better than I was expecting, being my first intentionally "aged" IPA. I'll have to try and seek out more of this type to compare.

One of those rare beers that defines easy classification or description. Pours a mostly clear light brown and only a bit of head. First smell is wood and raisons. Lots of wood and raisons. Beyond that, it's hard to say. Earthy, gritty, savory in a way that perhaps a chili with some smokiness is savory. Tastes like a meal that you'd piece together on a camping trip with spare food items in a log cabin. A hint bitter on the end but not like any IPA I've ever had. Actually, it's more similar to a rich, dark nut brown ale, only not as dark either. Worth trying just because this is one of Dogfish's better crazy experiments, and it's delicious in a rather sophisticated, esoteric way.

Somewhat cloudy in appearance, with a dark amber-infused copper color. Thin off-white head. Sparse lacing. Nose is wonderful. Hefty load of hoppy notes: fruity, with some fresh grapefruit detected prominently. Pine cones, perfumy flowers, some bitter chocolate. Flavor is good, but more tame than expected. 90-minute IPA blew me away, but this tasted more like a toned-down version of it with just a touch of "wood". The hops are pretty muted here, and the sweetness from the malt takes a larger role. ABV is hidden for a 10% ABV beer. Good mouthfeel...certainly more creamy than expected. Despite the high ABV, this was quite drinkable. Another neat beer from the gang at Dogfish. Well-done.

Great overall beer, I'm not by any means an expert on this stuff. I love my IPA's and when this came to me via a client who wanted to get rid of beer her ex left behind I figured what's the worst that could happen, like it or dump it down the drain.

I picked up this four-pack already chilled at the local store and I am glad that I did. Even though it is a bit pricey, it is definitely worth it. It has an even 10% ABV and about 70 IBUs. Let’s see what we got here.

Look-It pours a mild auburn color with a yellow tinge in the right light; medium clarity and plentiful carbonation. The head is full bodied and foamy and lingers all the way down leaving a very fine and delicate lacing on the glass. Very nice!

Smell-It smells of vanilla and citrus!

Taste-The taste is rich and deep. It is so refreshing, because the vanilla notes play on the tongue for a long time while the flavors of citrus, candied cherries, oak, and then it gives way to a hoppiness that sing high notes above the mild sweetness. It isn’t too sweet at all and what’s more is that the listed flavors interact with one another so well. They even form sort of a candied yam flavor like your favorite dish from Thanksgiving! It isn’t a palate wrecker, but the hops are definitely present and delicious. The alcohol is strong, but not overpowering. I definitely taste the two different blends that the brewer boasts. Excellent beer!

Mouthfeel-This is a very silky smooth beer where even the plentiful carbonation does not contribute in an overwhelming manner. The carbonation manifests itself as a sort of afterthought that is gentle and smooth complimenting the bite from the hops and alcohol, I think you’ll agree that this is a great beer!

Overall-I am definitely pleased with this variety. I think that everyone should try it as long as it is served chilled and poured into a nice glass you will get the full experience. What’s really cool about this beer is the brewers threaded two beers together and then aged them in an oak barrel. They brew and English-style old ale and an imperial IPA and then thread them together and then let them sit in oaky barrels; absolutely delicious and so drinkable. It drinks like a 7-8% ABV so tread carefully! Cheers!

Poured into shaker from bottle, nice 1 finger creamy head that hangs around. Dark opaque amber to look at. Smells dank, resinous, caramel sweetness an mango. Taste pretty much the same, very caramel sweetness on the front end giving up to ripe mango with a mild sweet finish. Great thick body, the oak mellows out the bitterness. Can't believe it took me this long to try this beer

I haven't tried a lot of DFH's BA efforts, not through lack of interest but mostly lack of availability (and my own ignorance). This one is so big, boozy, sweet and woody it strikes more like a light barleywine than a double IPA. I'd love to taste one of these with a few years of proper cellaring, but it certainly is wonderful right now.

Pours a hazy, medium amber producing a shy 2 fingers of off-white, frothy, somewhat lasting head that leaves only a few motes & webs of lace. Aroma is caramel, brown sugar, fruity, rich & oaky with floral, grapefruit, pine & boozy alcohol. Taste is rich oaky, roast, fruity, burnt caramel malt fronted with toffee, earth, floral, grapefruit, pine & alcohol predominating after the mid-sip to finish. Aftertaste is a balanced malt/hoppy bittersweet that gravitates toward unbalanced bitterness & slight astringency. Alcohol is prominent in both nose & mouth. Mouthfeel is medium-heavy bodied with moderate, carbonation, dry but sweet at the same time, with a drawing nature on the front half of the tongue. Very unusual. I fill that this is it's appeal. One that certainly lives up to their motto "Off-centered ales for off-centered people".

I know this isn't exactly a hard beer to find, but I've been on the lookout for a few months now, being increasingly interested in trying it. I got a $4 single and, as usual, poured it into a Sam Adams Perfect Pint. Bottled 1/27 and poured 2/26.

Appearance: Poured straight down the glass and got a pretty modest finger of head -- creamy and soapy, but more creamy, and egg shell colored. The beer is a moderately hazy orange-brown color.

Smell: Since it's almost frozen from the fridge, it's hard to get a good nose on it. I definitely get the woodiness from the barrels first and foremost. I don't know if Dogfish head specifies if they use bourbon barrels, but I'm pretty sure they don't, and I'm thankful for that -- bourbon barrel non-stouts tend to underwhelm me. The oak also gives a vanilla vibe, with some citrusy hops in there as well. Even pretty much ice cold, this beer smells great. Not extremely potent, but super pleasant.

Taste/feel: The hops really shine on the tongue -- juicy, fresh, sweet, somewhat tangy (!?), and just delicious. Herbal hops with some citrus are the dominant hop flavors I get, followed by the barrel and the malt which all combines to make for a phenomenal aftertaste. The feel is also incredible on this beer... it has about a medium body with a fairly high prickly carbonation that really suits this beer well: it just makes the hops "pop". As far as alcohol, it's untraceable -- nowhere to be found. For bitterness, well, this is a DIPA. It's obviously hoppy, but *too* drinkable at 10%, and isn't very bitter at all to my tongue.

Just an excellent, excellent beer. I liked it the more I went on. The smell was better than the appearance, the taste was better than the smell... Burton Baton is a must try. The bottle suggests maybe cellaring this beer, but I wouldn't ever do that. The fresh, bursting hops is what makes this beer -- the barrel just adds a bit of depth. If you see this beer, pick it up.

Rich, ripe, dusky kumquat with undertones of burnished bronze and edges of juicy orange. There's more carbonation than expected, which results in the creation of a fantastic cap of foam: lustrous pearl bathed in a pale orange glow, thick and frothy, mounded and bubbly, descending at a glacial pace, thick ribbons of lace... it's all here and it looks great.

I can tell as soon as my nose enters the glass that I'm not dealing with a hop monster. To me, the beer is most reminiscent of a young barleywine. It's toasted caramel malty, woody, spicy, medium range hoppy and slightly alcoholic. Even though it smells woody, it isn't what I would call oaky.

Anyone expecting a tongue abuser will be disappointed. Burton Baton is actually a 50:50 mixture of an oak-aged English strong ale and 90 Minute IPA, a beer that isn't the hoppiest DIPA on the block to begin with. Malt is large and in charge, delivering a full, mellow, sticky sweetness that I wasn't expecting. An added benefit is that aging is unlikely to lead to a lessening of the major flavor(s), as it does in the classic DIPAs, and may even result in a better beer.

The flavor profile consists of heavily toasted barley malt, caramel, butterscotch, and spicy, earthy, sapsticky hops. The hop bill includes Warrior and Glacier for those who care about such things. Woodiness is still present, and I can now appreciate an oaky quality (the power of suggestion is a powerful thing). The most impressive part of the entire experience is the seamlessness and the velvety power of the beer. Rarely has 10.0% been masked so well.

The mouthfeel is gorgeously silky smooth and is as polished as they come. I'm glad I had the foresight to put this bottle away for a 12 month sleep. It's full without being heavy, and is sweet without being cloying. An impressive amount of flavor linger allows me to pick up nuances long after the beer has gone to its reward.

Burton Baton (the name is a tribute to the spiritual home of British brewing in general and IPAs in particular) is a first-class beer even if it isn't much of a Double IPA. This is only speculation since it's my first bottle, but I'll venture a guess that round about its first birthday is the optimal time to enjoy this fantastically balanced, supremely sippable, gentle giant of a beer.

Pours a clear copper color with a fluffy two finger head after a harder pour that leaves no lace behind as it settles, pretty alcoholic on the nose alcohol dipped peaches and apricots with a light toasted grain note.A bigger chewey mouthfeel but it slides down quite easily,the oak aging of this beer is very evident its very prevalent thru out from beginning to finish the high alcohol content is also big.Flavors are more fruity than anything else mainly overipe peaches there is a nice piney hop profile that interacts well.This is not a big hopped up DIPA extremely balanced I think the alcohol and the sweeter malt base is just as big as the hop profile.I like it not quite what I thought it might be but I liked it and would try again for sure.

Appearance – This beer is a thick, heavy-looking, orangish-brown in color, like a dark copper, with a beautiful lasting slightly off-white head.

Smell – This is a monster hop nose filled with giant PacNW hops. I’m looking for the English-style Old Ale but it is nowhere to be found. Well maybe there’s a light funky yeast in here but this is all about the huge, resiny hops.

Taste – Although the hops are still big here I do get a slight since of the malt from the EOA thread. It’s lightly bready and a bit toasted, but you really have to search for it because the big pine from the nose, now mated with a small citrus flavor, is here in force.

Mouthfeel – This is a big beer, bigger than medium-bodied if not quite full, and slick in between the cheeks. It has some bitterness but not like you’d think from 70 IBUs.

Drinkability – This is a hop-lover’s dream. If you’re looking for a balanced mix between the DIPA and EOA threads you will be sorely disappointed. But boy I sure enjoyed drinking it.

A: BB pours a pretty golden-amber into my snifter and a clumpy, 1 finger head dissipates slowly. The retention of the head is ridiculous, and the lacing left behind by each sip is splashy and epic.

S: A lovely blend of bright citrus hops and caramel malt greets my nose. I'm not really detecting any oak presence fresh out of the bottle. As the beer warms a bit, the caramel malts take over balance from the hops. As I swirl the beer round my glass, a dry woodiness from the oak aging is released.

T: Wow, the oak really jumps all over palate at the get-go. As I travel longer into my tasting, a lovely caramel and peach blend emerges on my palate. This guy is definitely malt heavy for an Imperial IPA and I'm not sure if it is because it was bottled on 3/1/10 or if that's just the nature of the beerst. The oak mellows over time, but remains in the background throughout the sip as a biting, acidic taste on the tip of the tongue and the sides of the mouth. This beer finishes like a crisp and dry Chardonnay.

M: The biggest difference between the MF of this and a non oak ages Imp. IPA is that the big nature of the beer is reigned in a bit by the drying qualities of the wood. I've found that most Imp. IPAs coat the palate; this dries. It is intriguing for the style.

D: I certainly didn't struggle drinking this, but the oaky bite makes it a little less drinkable for me than other Imp. IPAs that I have tried.